The age of colonialism in architecture is finally over. Yes, large firms based in the United States and Europe design buildings for sites all over the world and yes, most of the styles, construction methods, and tricks of appearance still show up first in buildings designed in those developed countries. What is fading away is the notion that there is a central canon or style, a type and a character, that works for the Western world, as we used to know it, and which architects, developers, and clients then impose on other places with little allowances for local climate, site conditions, ways of life, or traditions. We live in a global economy and culture, and it is more the empire of capital that of any one country that sets the tone. Against such domination, strategies of either resistance or just common sense use methods that are equally universal, though tied to specific situations.
The best celebration of the latter strategies I have seen is the recent publication of the Aga Khan’s 2010 Award cycle. Entitled Implicate & Explicate, published by the most high-quality art and architecture bookmaker Lars Mueller, and designed by Irma Boom, it presents the award’s short list with good photographs, plans and sections, and a wealth of (too-short, alas) essays. It finally makes a convincing case for the now 34-year-old triannual awards program, which focuses on worthy designs for Islamic communities all around the world.
More: Blog Entry – The Aga Khan Award: Reasons for Hope – Architect Magazine.
Ismailimail 